Saddam As Folk Hero

Actually, Saddam isn’t faring particularly well as a folk hero, at least in Indonesia. This t-shirt manufacturer says he’s only sold about 400 so far. He explains that so far, Saddam has not been as hot an item as Osama bin Laden “because many Indonesians understand he is not a completely pure Muslim. He has done bad things.”
Think about that distinction for a moment. Apparently this particular t-shirt salesman hasn’t fully internalized the “religion of peace” theme.
Here’s what I also don’t understand: Why are these t-shirts (like so many signs at foreign demonstrations) in English? And bad English: “We Support of You.” What’s that all about? Do you get the feeling that these things are produced (like the signs at demonstrations) for the sole purpose of being seen by us? Beats me.

The t-shirt guy assures us that in the event of a war, sales will pick up since Saddam will be seen “as a fighter against America.” Maybe. But if the war goes the way I think it will, I don’t think a lot of Indonesians will be standing in line for Saddam merchandise.